This invention relates to method and apparatus for automatically packing elongated food products into containers, and to such method and apparatus for forming the food spears and for automatically conveying them into the proper positions, in the proper orientations, and in the proper quantities for accomplishing such packing.
There are a variety of applications in which it is desired to pack elongated bodies of food, or food spears, into a container, automatically rather than by hand. One example of this, in connection with which the present invention will be described, is in the packing of cucumber spears into a jar for subsequent retail sale. One form of method and apparatus useful for this purpose is described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,368, issued June 12, 1984, filed Apr. 30, 1982 and entitled Method and Apparatus for Automatically Packing Elongated Food Articles in Controlled Positions and Orientations. In the operation of the latter form of apparatus, cucumbers are cut into spears and the resultant spears delivered skin-side-down onto a first conveyor belt. This belt delivers the spears to another conveyor belt, and in so doing causes the spears to topple over from their skin-side-down orientations into cut-side-down orientations on the second conveyor belt. A fence or stop extends across, and just above, the latter belt, to arrest the first spear reaching it, and the subsequent spears accummulate against the rear of the first spear and against each other, until an array of spears has accumulated which is of a length suitable to fit closely about the inner periphery of the container when packed therein. The accumulation of this desired length of horizontal array of spears on the second belt is sensed, and the horizontal array of spears pushed onto a flat, horizontal roll-up belt or band of flexible material, by means of a pusher bar.
The roll-up band with the array of spears on it is then automatically rolled up into a cylindrical form, the spears forming a ring within the band, with their cut sides outermost. Next a reciprocable pusher is automatically actuated to push the ring of spears out of the rolled-up band and through the open neck of a glass jar positioned adjacent one end of the spears, wherein they dispose themselves about the interior periphery of the jar with the same cut side of each spear facing outwardly, as desired for best product display. The spears lock themselves into position in the jar so that the hollow ring which they form in the jar does not collapse. The empty roll-up band is then unwound into its flat configuration, and the cycle repeated to fill the next jar. If desired, additional spears may be manually packed into the center of each jar, within the previously packed ring of spears.
While this apparatus functions for its intended purpose, like all machines it is open to improvement. First, in the order of operations, while the spears may be caused to slide downwardly by gravity from the exit end of a cutter through twisted channels onto the first conveyor belt, various of the spears may not traverse the channels at the uniform high speed which is desired, particularly where the cucumbers may differ somewhat in size.
Secondly, the toppling of the spears from the skin-side-down to the cut-side-down positions may not always occur uniformly, especially when different sizes of spears are used and/or the belt is run at somewhat different speeds.
Thirdly, when a relatively large number of spears (e.g. 10) are to be accumulated in a stationary position on the moving second belt by means of the abovementioned fence, there is sometimes a tendency for the later-arriving spears of a group, e.g. those in the last five of a group of ten, to assume final positions on the second conveyor belt which are other than their desired positions parallel to, transversely aligned with, and immediately next to, the spears adjacent to them, as they should be for reliable transfer to the roll-up band and thence into the jar or other container.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and useful method and apparatus for forming of food spears and for packing them into containers.
Another object is to provide such method and apparatus which is of improved reliability, especially when used at high speeds.
A further object is to provide a new method and apparatus in which reliable and accurately timed delivery of food spears from a spear-former to a support is accomplished, while assuring that the spears will be in predetermined orientations about their longitudinal axes upon delivery to the support.
A further object is to provide a new method and apparatus for depositing food spears onto, or lifting them from, a conveyor.
Another object is to provide a method and apparatus which assures the proper arrest and accumulation of relatively large numbers of food spears on a moving conveyor, so as to enable formation of a stationary spear array of predetermined length, in which array the spears are positioned parallel and substantially contiguous to each other.